Street play performed on Safer Internet Day

By Nisha Rai,Dharan, Feb. 10: A street play was performed in Dharan to generate awareness about online child sexual abuse on the occasion of Safer Internet Day on Sunday

With the slogan ‘Protect children from online sexual abuse’, the street play was organised at Bhanu Chowk, Dharan, in collaboration with Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City and the Area Police Office, Dharan, by Voice of Children and Dharan Listener’s Club.

With the increasing use of the internet for online education and other activities, cases of online child sexual abuse and exploitation have been rising significantly. This issue was depicted in the play. The chief guest of the programme, Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City’s Deputy Mayor Aindra Bikram Begha, said that the play reflected the current social distortions and malpractices.

 He emphasised that with the rapid growth of internet usage, its misuse has also increased, affecting not only children but also adults, ultimately impacting society as a whole.

He further added that while the government has proposed laws to address such issues, stricter legal provisions and punishments are necessary for offenders. He specifically mentioned cases where explicit content is manipulated and spread using someone else’s photos, stating that such acts should be strictly punished.  Given the rising incidents of such crimes, he stressed the importance of conducting similar street plays and awareness programmes at the school level.

Dharan’s Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Prakash Jabegu said that the misuse of the internet is affecting is not only children but society at large. He added that cybercrime, including violence against women, fraud, criminal activities, and drug trafficking, has increased due to the internet.

With the rise in online sexual abuse and exploitation, children’s education, behaviour, mental and physical health, family relationships, and even cases of children leaving home have been affected.  Since existing policies and regulations are insufficient and ineffective, Voice of Children has launched an online child sexual abuse prevention project, said Lila Bhujel, Cyber Safety Project Officer at Voice of Children.

According to Bhujel, throughout the year, Voice of Children has been conducting programmes in schools in Itahari, Dharan, and other parts of Sunsari to reduce the incidents of online sexual abuse. 

The street play featured performances by members of the Dharan Listener’s Club, including Saugat BK, Pramisa Thapa, Kusum Rai, Saru Rai, Injis Dewan, Yunchho Limbu, Sasi Limbu, and Bhawana BK. According to the Area Police Office, Dharan, in the fiscal year 2024/25, three cybercrime cases and one child sexual abuse case were registered as of mid-Janury.

The event was attended by Sunsari Traffic Police Chief Birendra Thapa, senior journalist and central president of the labor organisation Bhimjwala Rai, Dharan Listener’s Club President Manav Gadaile, students, and representatives from various organisations.